In conventional steel mills, steel is generally rolled into long strands having a particular cross-section obtained by selecting a particular form of roll used to shape the metal. The strands of metal, which may be in excess of 300 feet in length, usually exit the final roll at an elevated temperature. Equipment may be provided for transporting the metal strands within the mill for further processing. Cooling beds are commonly used to transport metal strands laterally of the direction of strand travel from the rolls and also provide for air cooling of the strands as they are transported across the cooling bed. Conventionally, a run-in table is provided for receiving the metal strands from the rolling mill. A kick-off mechanism may be provided at the run-in table to transfer the strands onto the cooling bed. After the strands are traversed across the cooling bed, they may be transferred by shuffle bars to a run-out table for further processing.